How to Choose Your Tax Filing Status if You’re Married
If you’re married then you’ve probably just always filed a joint return with your spouse. In fact, chances are you’ve never even considered filing any other way. However, for some people, married filing jointly is not the best option. Depending on your situation, it could be more advantageous to file separately. Here are some things to consider when choosing what filing status to use if you are married.
While in many cases, filing together could help lessen the tax hit on you and your spouse it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes, the only advantage of filing jointly is that you only have to worry about one return. If you and your spouse both work and one of you earns a lot more than the other, then it will typically be better to file jointly, as it will usually help reduce your combined tax bill.
On the other hand, there are other circumstances wherein it that might better to file separately. For example, if you both have taxable income and one of you has a lot of itemized deductions limited by adjusted gross income (AGI), then it might make sense to file separately. That’s because by filing separately, you can also separate both of your AGI’s. If your AGIs are lower on your separate returns, you can save on your tax bill.
This is just one example of where filing separately from your spouse could be helpful. However, it’s best to weigh all your options before making that choice. If you’re not sure what status to choose, you can contact us at GROCO for help. We’ll look at all the numbers and all the possible scenarios and choose the best path for you. Call us at 1-877-CPA-2006, or click here.
Add These Historical U.S. Sites to Your Bucket List
Add These Historical U.S. Sites to Your Bucket List Are you a history buff? There are so many places in the country to see if you want to experience some of the things that helped make this country what it is today. Of course, there are many well known sites that would make any history…
How to Build Emotional Intelligence
How to Build Emotional Intelligence IQ vs. EQ and how that affects you Throughout childhood teachers are quick to pick out students who are “high performers” and have a high IQ. With society giving such a larger emphasis on IQ, it is inferred that only those who have a high IQ will be successful financially…
Leadership Through Crucial Conversations
Leadership Through Crucial Conversations Think of a time where you had a difficult conversation with someone, the kind where emotions are strong, and the stakes are high. It could be on a variety of topics: negotiating a raise at work, having to fire an employee, or even how to tell your spouse that you don’t…
The Top Benefits of Floating Therapy
The Top Benefits of Floating Therapy Have you ever felt so good that you “feel like you’re walking on air?” Of course, that’s just an expression, but what if you could get that kind of feeling in a real-world experience? Life is stressful and people are always looking for new ways to catch a breather,…